II Edition of Ramadan An Event to Share – Chapter 6

July 7, 2014 ~ Huma ~ 4 Comments

How do you introduce your namesake ? Hehe. Well today we have with us an educator Huma Zeenat from easyrecipeguideforworkingwomen.blogspot.com. Her blog has quick, no fuss recipes specially for working women. Lets check what she has in store for us.

Ramzaan is the ninth month according to Islamic Lunar calendar. Ramzan (written as Ramadan) is derived from the Arabic root word ‘ramida’ or ‘arramad’ that means intense scorching heat and dryness, especially of the ground. Ramadan is so called to indicate the heating sensation in the stomach as a result of thirst. Others said it is so called because Ramadan scorches out the sins as it burns the ground. Some said it is so called because the hearts and souls are more readily receptive to the admonition and remembrance of Allah during Ramadan, as the sand and stones are receptive to the sun’s heat.Ramzan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, is observed as a fasting period by Muslims, whoabstain from food and water from sunrise to sunset. Muslims wake up early morning for the pre-dawn ‘sehri’ meal renouncing food and water during the day before breaking their fasts in the evening. The sumptuous evening meals are known as ‘iftars’ which they do together!!

I am Shaikh Huma Zeenat from the blog easyrecipeguideforworkingwomen.blogspot.com . I love cooking and try out making different different dishes & cuisines!! I first try out by myself the recipes and then share it with u all!! I enjoy cooking.

Today, I am sharing with Schezwan Chicken Masala.

Ingredients

For marination:-

Chicken (boneless) – 500 gms

Ginger-garlic paste – 3 tsp

Vinegar – 1 tbsp

Salt – 1 tsp

Schezwan sauce – 2 tbsp

For Masala :-

Oil ( left over after shallow frying chicken)

Cumin seeds – 2 tsp

Onions, medium – 6, finely chopped + additional 2 cut into small cubes

Ginger- garlic paste – 3 tsp

Coriander powder – 3 tsp

Red chilli powder – 1 1/2 tsp

Salt – 1 1/2 tsp

Tomatoes, medium – 4, finely chopped

Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp

Capsicum, medium – 2, cut into small cubes

Schezwan sauce 3 tbsp

Cream – 1/2 cup

Coriander leaves, chopped – 1/2 cup

Method:-

Marinate chicken pieces with all the above ingredients for 45 mins – 1 hr. Then mix 1 tbsp corn flour & shallow fry it in a pan using 1/2 cup oil. When turns golden red, remove it & keep aside.
In the same pan, using the left over oil, heat oil, add cumin seeds & chopped onions.
When onions turns golden, add ginger-garlic paste.
Saute & add coriander powder, red chilli powder, salt, garam masala powder & chopped tomatoes. Cover & cook till tomatoes turns soft and oil leaves the masala.
Then add onion & capsicum cut into cubes.
Stir fry for 3-4 mins and add schezwan sauce & 1/2 cup whisked cream.
Cover & cook for 5-6 mins.
When done, check the seasoning, can add little salt & crushed chilli flakes if required. Then add 1/2 cup coriander leaves and mix well
Serve hot with roti, tandoori roti, zeera rice!!

To check more about Huma Zeenat, visit her @ blog, facebook

II Edition of Ramadan An Event to Share – Chapter 5

July 5, 2014 ~ Huma ~ 4 Comments

Continuing our journey today we have Nazeeha from ChilliesandLime from the beautiful country Maldives. Lets check what Nazeeha has to say about her country and how they celebrate Ramadan.

My Name is Nazeeha, Nammi for my friends and fellow bloggers. I live in Male’ City , capital island of the Maldives. Maldives is a muslim country, incase you dont know already. Ramadhan is a very special month in my country. As Ramadhan approaches shoppers put up sales and people stock up on food and clean up their kitchens and living rooms, sometimes even give fresh coats of paint and redo the furniture even. During the last week before Ramadhan there is a small feast called Maahfun, people have pot lucks and just talk about what they are planning for Ramadhan.

During Ramadhan the working hours are shorter, work starts at 9 am and finishes by 2pm. My home is a big family home, even though my family and my two sisters with their families live in the same house we have our own living quarters so we cook separate and have separate lives. But come week ends we always break fast in our parents quarters. The Ifthar meal usually consists of dates, Maldivian flat bread , roshi, very similar to chapatti, a fish curry with gravy, one or two shorteats or little pastries filled with fish and coconut fillings, a sweet dish and of course fresh water melon. All this washed down with a freshly made juice ( usually made with some local fruit ) and lots of tea.

After tharaaweeh my mum usually has a rice porridge called baipen , and some of the left over pastries. Suhur is usually rice with fish broth ,garudhiya with salad.

As Eid approaches shops are packed with shoppers busy getting new clothes for eid. During the old days my mum stays up late at night to prepare the eid feast but now adays she just prepares the sweet dish and goes to bed early. After Eid prayers the kids are given presents , everyone hangs out at my parents. These days its me and my sisters who prepare the eid feast and my mum enjoys the day off with her grand kids and calling up friends and receiving visitors. Traffic is stopped during the late afternoon so everyone heads out for a leisurely walk and visiting and just enjoy the day.

I want to share with you a little sweet dish that is loved by the kids and adults alike in my family. Its called sago bondibai, or sago pudding made with sago pearls . Hope you like it.

Sago Bondibai/ Sago Pudding

150g tiny sago pearlswater

125 ml (1/2 cup) condensed milk

2 tbsp rose water or ½ tsp rose essence

2 pandan leaves, knotted.

½ -1 cup sugar ( depends on how sweet you like it)

1. Heat about 2 Litres of water in a large heavy bottomed saucepan. Add the sago pearls and cook , stirring occasionally, till they start to go translucent with just a faint white dot in the centre.

2. Pour the sago pearls into a colander and wash the pearls several times to remove the excess starch.

3. Add the sago pearls, ½ cup sugar, condensed milk ¼ cup water and knotted up pandan leaf in large saucepan or cooking pot and place the pan back on the stove, over a medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar , and cook till the mixture thickens. Taste, add more sugar if you want it very sweet.

5. Finally stir in rose water and stir for about 1-2 minutes , taste add more rose water if you you think it needs an extra teaspoon or two, as sometimes different brands have various strengths of the rose perfume. Switch off, remove from the stove top and keep covered for about 5 minutes. It will cook on its own, and the liquid level will reduce.

To check more about ChilliesandLime visit them @ facebook , blog

II Edition of Ramadan An Event to Share – Chapter 3

July 1, 2014 ~ Huma ~ 5 Comments

From techie to homemaker to mom, our guest today is a lively person whom I encountered on facebook. Pankti the techiemom blogs at momscookingadventures.blogspot.in and her blog is full of vegetarian recipes and baking adventures. Today she is sharing with us a recipe and her experience of eid celebrated with her father’s friend’s family. Over to you Pankti.

My greetings to the readers of Gheza-eShiriin in this festive season. I am Pankti and I blog at momscookingadventures.blogspot.in about the food that I cook and experiments I do in my kitchen.. I do a lot of baking (I actually have a home based baking business). I also cook lot of Indian food and as I hail from Gujarat and my hubby from Punjab these two states have a big influence in my kitchen.

Huma wanted me to do a guest post for her Ramdan series. She has an amazing collection of veg and non-veg recipes! Her pictures are lovely! However the best part about her is her warm and friendly nature!! Apart from blogging and food photography, we also talked at length about her work (she is an entrepreneur and I am impressed), her family (hails from Baroda), her 2 states (yet arranged) marraige!! I am happy to have her as a friend 🙂

When Huma said Ramdan, the first people to come to my mind were J Uncle, my papa’s friend and his Amma!! Though I never got a chance to meet Amma, I’ve heard a lot of fond stories of my papa’s childhood revolving around her. He would very fondly talk about how Amma would lovingly feed him and my kaka, the heavenly sheer khurma prepared by her during Ramdan and the non-veg food at her place!! Even after J uncle and his family shifted to a new place, the first thing my papa do on Eid morning every year is to call him and wish him Eid Mubarak and talk about the lovely old days!! This tradition continues till date!! May this friendship remain intact forever..

During my first job, I got a chance to see old city of Ahmedabad during Ramadan months!! Ramdan evening in old city are filled with vendor selling all kind of foods, kebabs, tikkas, bakery style cookies, dates etc.. Air is filled with festivity and people doing shopping!! Something that makes old city all the more endearing..

I thought a lot about what to make for Huma’s Ramdan series. Originally I wanted to do a Sheer Khurma recipe to honour Amma but Huma already had published the recipe.

So I got thinking again. I wanted to make something that would be filling enough, something that is delicious, something that would be appreciated in today’s busy times yet has it’s roots in tradition!!

Finally I zeroed in on this milkshake. Perfect for consumption during Suhoor and Iftar meals!!

Otherwise perfect too :)!!

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoon Peanut butter

2 Table spoon Chocolate sauce (I used Hershey’s)

3/4 cup Cold milk

3- 4 pitted dates

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 small banana (optional)

Pinch of Cinnamon powder (Optional)

This milkshake is so easy to make there are no steps actually.. You just mix everything in your blender or mixer and give a whir!! Your milkshake is ready!! Drop in a few Ice cubes if you need it really chilled..

Notes:

1) You can replace dates by sugar if you wish.

2) You can increase/ decrease amount of peanut butter, dates and chocolate as per your liking.

3) You can use yogurt in place of milk to get chocolate peanut butter and dates smoothie!!

To know more about techiemom Pankti visit her @ momscookingadventures.blogspot.in